Rep. Michele Bachmann, a member of Congress from Minnesota, officially launched her campaign today for the Republican nomination to take on pro-abortion President Barack Obama.
Bachmann becomes the first woman to enter the race — ahead of former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor whom many political observers are watching to see whether she decides to become a candidate for the GOP nod. Already, Bachmann has cruised to a second place position in some national polls and one in Iowa, her birthplace, as she is pulling support from Palin supporters because Palin is not in the race.
“My name is Michele Bachmann and I stand here among many friends to announce that I am formally running for the president of the United States,” she said at a rally in Iowa. “Together, once again, we can secure the promise of the future for America. I want to bring a voice — your voice — to the White House, just as I brought your voice to the halls of the United States Congress.”
“As a constitutional conservative, I believe in the founding fathers’ vision of a limited government that trusts in and preserves the unlimited potential of the American people. I don’t believe that the solutions to our problems come from Washington: more than ever, Washington IS the problem, and the real solutions will come from our businesses, our communities, our schools and the most basic and powerful unit of all-our families,” Bachmann added. “My voice is part of a movement to take back our country, and now I want to take that voice to the White House.”
Bachmann joins an increasingly crowded Republican field that includes several pro-life candidates. Former governor Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Jon Huntsman, Buddy Roemer, and pro-abortion Gary Johnson are running as are former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, Rep. Ron Paul, former Sen. Rick Santorum, and former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain.
Bachmann, who had adopted two dozen foster children, is solidly pro-life and recently shared her pro-life convictions in a Skype speech before hundreds of pro-life advocates at the National Right to Life convention.
She said: “Americans are more than ready to make Barack Obama a one term president. Obama has abandoned some of the most common-sense and long-standing limits on abortion. Obamacare funds abortion even though a majority of Americans oppose such funding. I will repeal Obamacare– you can take that to the bank. I will repeal funding for Planned Parenthood.”
“The nation’s largest provider of abortions should not be getting any federal funding. I havea 100% pro-life voting record and will build on it in the White House,” Bachmann added.
Bachmann was the only candidate to appear to take on another when she bashed Mitt Romney, though not by name, in saying, “We shouldn’t have a nominee who is weak on abortion or has a record of flip-flopping. Abortion is not a political football that should be carried around. You want someone who is unquestionably pro-life, and I am.”
She also recently hit Romney for not signing the pro-life pledge put forward by the Susan B. Anthony List.
Bachmann has a 100 percent pro-life voting record covering abortion and bioethics issues, according to the National Right to Life Committee, having voted pro-life in 19 of 19 votes since coming to Congress from Minnesota.
Recently, at a Christian conference, Bachmann said she supports ensuring taxpayer dollars don’t go to the Planned Parenthood abortion business.
Bachmann talked extensively about pro-life issues during her rousing speech and slammed Planned Parenthood accusing the abortion business of corruption and of “committing crimes and enabling young, minor girls.”
“This organization has by their own records performed 324,008 abortions in 2008 and 2009 and that’s in addition to the trafficking of under-age girls that has gone on under Planned Parenthood’s nose,” she said. “Do you think we could start here by defunding this organization?”
“They wrote that ‘Among those rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness… life; that’s the first right,” she said. “And the incredible thing about this statement is inalienable rights are ones that man cannot give … and not only are inalienable rights ones that man cannot give that right, nor can government give it, the opposite is that government is without authority or power to take that right away.”
“Government is incapable of giving unalienable rights. Only God can give life,” she said. “Government is without power or authority to take that right away.”
Bachmann received a standing ovation when she called for the repeal of Obamacare, and she continued the strain repeatedly as the audience rose to its feet. “I am committed: I will not rest until we repeal ObamaCare. America will not rest until we repeal ObamaCare,” she said. “Take it to the bank, cash the check, it will be done.”
“If we have anything to say about it, Barack Obama will be a one-term president,” she said to a rousing ovation.
